St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop Author and Publisher - Catholic Online Facts Patron of Australia, Brisbane, Knights of the Southern Cross Birth: 1842 Beatified By: 19 January 1995, Sydney by Pope John Paul II Canonized By: 17 October 2010, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI Take the Saints Trivia Quiz now! Mary Helen MacKillop (15 January 1842 - 8 August 1909), also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on education for the poor, particularly in country areas. Since her death she has attracted much veneration in Australia and internationally. On 17 July 2008, Pope Benedict XVI prayed at her tomb during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day 2008.

On 19 December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI approved the Roman Catholic Church's recognition of a second miracle attributed to her intercession. She was canonised on 17 October 2010 during a public ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican. She is the only Australian to be recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as a saint. Mary MacKillop Best known as: Mother Mary of the Cross Feastday: August 8 Mary Helen MacKillop was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne on 15 January 1842 as daughter from Alexander MacKillop and Flora MacDonald. After Mary there were three more daughters and four sons born to the family. She was the eldest of eight children. Her parents were Scottish immigrants who had arrived to the Australian Colonies in the late 1830's. From her earliest years Mary had a delicate sense of God's presence, and felt called to live a life of poverty consecrated to the service of his poor. But she had to wait. The family needed her, and at the age of 16 she went to work to help her family. In 1861 Mary and her sister moved to Penola, South Australia.

There she met a Catholic priest, Father Julian Woods and together they opened Australia's first free Catholic school. Mary's desire to become a nun had grown stronger, yet she was still to find an order that suited her. For a brief time MacKillop left to work elsewhere as a teacher, but in 1866, at age 25, she adopted the religious name Sister Mary of the Cross. Together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, she founded the Congregation Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart and she opened a free Catholic school for the poor. The location of the first congregation was in a derelict horse stable on the outskirts of Penola. It was Australia’s first religious order. In 1867 the newly formed Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart moved to Adelaide to found a school at the request of Bishop Laurence Sheil. As well as providing education, the Sisters also established a women's refuge, an orphanage and a House of Providence, a home for older women. In 1869 she and some of the Josephite sisters arrived in Brisbane. They were based at Kangaroo Point and took the ferry or rowed across the Brisbane River to attend Mass at old St Stephen's Cathedral.

She left Brisbane in 1871. The Josephite Congregation expanded rapidly and, by 1871, 130 sisters were working in more than 40 schools and charitable institutions across South Australia and Queensland. Throughout her life, Mary met with opposition from people outside the Church and even from some of those within it. In the most difficult of times she consistently refused to attack those who wrongly accused her and undermined her work, but continued in the way she believed God was calling her and was always ready to forgive those who wronged her. Mary’s independence and social ideas concerned Church authorities, and she was ordered by her bishop, who believed some exagerrated stories about the educator, to surrender control of the schools and her Order. She refused, and was excommunicated in September 1871 from the Church by Bishop Sheil for alleged insubordination, however he later lifted the excommunication in 1873, shortly before his death. But what is the full story?

The full story is that Mary MacKillop was excommunicated out of “revenge,” in the words of one priest familiar with her life, for her part (and her order's part) in uncovering a case of sex abuse by a priest in a nearby parish. The work of the sisters continued to expand, and there were new foundations throughout Australia and New Zealand. At a time when state education was becoming secular, the work of the Sisters of St. Joseph helped lay the foundations for the extensive system of Catholic schools that still exists in Australia. In 1883, Mary came into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church establishment by insisting on an equalitarian rather than hierarchical organization. Bishop Reynolds told her to leave his diocese and Mary transferred the headquarters of the Josephites in Sydney. Illness and death: Mother Mary MacKillop suffered a stroke in 1902. Over the next few years her health gradually deteriorated. On August 4, 1909, Cardinal Moran visited her sick room at the motherhouse in Mount St., North Sydney.

He left with the comment, "I consider this day I have assisted at the death bed of a saint." Mother Mary of the Cross died on Sunday, August 8, 1909 in North Sydney and was laid to rest at the Gore Hill Cemetery, a few kilometres up the Pacific Highway from North Sydney. After her burial people continuously took earth from around her grave and as a result her remains were exhumed and transferred, on 27 January 1914, to a vault before the altar of the Mother of God in the newly build Memorial Chapel in Mount Street Sydney. The Miracles of the Blessed Mary MacKillop: To obtain the title of "Saint" the Catholic Church must recognise two miracles attributed to the Blessed Mary Mackillop. Mary's first miracle was recognised by the church in 1995 when a woman was cured of leukemia in 1961. The woman would go on to have six children and remain completely free of cancer. His Holiness Pope John Paul ll beatified Mary MacKillop on January 19, 1995 at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Mother Mary MacKillop becomes 1st Australian saint Pope Benedict XVI approved sainthood for Mother Mary MacKillop on Friday february 19, 2010, making the woman known for her work among the needy Australia's first saint. The pope made the announcement during a ceremony at the Vatican and set the formal canonization for October 17, 2010, in Rome. Latest news: October 17, 2010 Australia’s five million Catholics have their first saint after Pope Benedict XVI canonized Mary MacKillop, co-founder more than 140 years ago of an order of nuns known as the “Sisters of the Outback.” More than 8,000 Australians are estimated to have joined the crowd outside St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome attending today’s ceremony. Mother Mary MacKillop: The Patron Saint of Abuse Victims - Foundation Marypages - Our foundation has the objective to develop, expand and maintain the Marypages website to promote the Roman Catholic belief and especially the Devotion of Our Blessed Mother, Mary. With your financial support you will make this possible. Marypages can only survive with your help!

You can become a donator of our foundation by donating at least 20 Euro per year. We will then offer you: Our Newsletter (1 time a year) A Miraculous Medal with explanation of its design If your donation is 50 Euro or higher, then you will also receive a beautiful rosary from Lourdes. In the rosary is a little holy water from the source in Lourdes. Any extra income generated will be donated to compassionate projects with a Catholic basis. We are registered at the Chamber of Commerce Flevoland under number 39100629. To make a donation, please click the button below. God bless you. Mary MacKillop's Story Mary MacKillop's Story 1842 - 1909 On January 15, 1842 Mary MacKillop was born of Scottish parents, Alexander MacKillop and Flora MacDonald in Fitzroy, Victoria. This was less than seven years after Fawkner sailed up the Yarra, when Elizabeth Street was a deep gully and Lonsdale Street was still virgin bush. A plaque in the footpath now marks the place of her birth in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.

Mary, the eldest of eight children, was well educated by her father who spent some years studying for the priesthood in Rome but through ill health had returned to his native Scotland until 1835 when he migrated to Australia with his parents. Unfortunately, he lacked financial awareness, so the family was often without a home of their own, depending on friends and relatives and frequently separated from one another. From the age of sixteen, Mary earned her living and greatly supported her family, as a governess, as a clerk for Sands and Kenny (now Sands and MacDougall), and as a teacher at the Portland school. While acting as a governess to her uncle's children at Penola, Mary met Father Julian Tenison Woods who, with a parish of 22,000 square miles/56,000 square kilometres, needed help in the religious education of children in the outback. At the time Mary's family depended on her income so she was not free to follow her dream. However, in 1866, greatly inspired and encouraged by Father Woods, Mary opened the first Saint Joseph's School in a disused stable in Penola.

Young women came to join Mary, and so the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph was begun. In 1867, Mary was asked by Bishop Shiel to come to Adelaide to start a school. From there, the Sisters spread, in groups to small outback settlements and large cities around Australia, New Zealand, and now in Peru, Brazil and refugee camps of Uganda and Thailand. Mary and these early Sisters, together with other Religious Orders and Lay Teachers of the time, had a profound influence on the forming of Catholic Education as we have come to know and experience it today. She also opened Orphanages, Providences to care for the homeless and destitute both young and old, and Refuges for ex-prisoners and ex-prostitutes who wished to make a fresh start in life. Throughout her life, Mary met with opposition from people outside the Church and even from some of those within it. In the most difficult of times she consistently refused to attack those who wrongly accused her and undermined her work, but continued in the way she believed God was calling her and was always ready to forgive those who wronged her. Throughout her life Mary suffered ill health.

She died on August 8, 1909 in the convent in Mount Street, North Sydney where her tomb is now enshrined. Since then the Congregation has grown and now numbers about 900, working mainly in Australia and New Zealand but also scattered singly or in small groups around the world. The "Brown Joeys" may be seen in big city schools, on dusty bush tracks, in modern hospitals, in caravans, working with the "little ones" of God - the homeless, the new migrant, the Aboriginal, the lonely and the unwanted, in direct care and in advocacy, in standing with and in speaking with. In their endeavours to reverence the human dignity of others and to change unjust structures, the Sisters and those many others who also share the Mary MacKillop spirit continue the work which she began. This great Australian woman inspired great dedication to God's work in the then new colonies. In today's world, she stands as an example of great courage and trust in her living out of God's loving and compassionate care of those in need.

More Information about Mary's Story can be found at: Mary MacKillop: A Sacred Heart of Strength | Clowning Around Australia Mary MacKillop: A Sacred Heart of Strength Published Wednesday, 26th October, 2011 | By Susan AKA Peacefull There have been many great women in Australia. Mary MacKillip is well known here and her story has been told. She actually came from Scottish heritage. The Scots had quite an impact here in Australia, very strong people. Mary lived with difficult conditions, traditions in the church, gender issues, politics, abuse of children and her own ability to lead. She also became a saint in recongition of her miracles. I have met many strong women and many of their stories are not told. I was thinking that as I was driving with Elizabeth a Sister of Mercy Nun. I thought of all the service works that were not acknowledged, even raising a family is a mamoth achievement and for many, a thankless task. They are the ones who do the jobs others don’t want to do. They just get it done. Heard that many times, that is practical thinking.

I think women are taken for granted on that front, they are seen as nurturers and that is what they do. However, as a woman that is not a mother looking into their world as one of them, I see their great sacrifice and strength and hard lives. This strength is not because they are women it is because their virtues lead them, such as love, empathy, caring, cooperation, responsibility and selflessness. These are the qualities of strong women. Of course I am generalising, there are always exceptions in either sex. In the future women will take their equal place and we will come to really see the greatness in each of us without reference to gender. That is when true equality arises, gender disappears. Gender is a political term, sex is the differences between males and females. I am speaking of power when I refer to gender and all the perceptions that define others.

Courtesy of Wikipedia Mary Helen MacKillop (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909), also known as Saint Mary of the Cross,[1] was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on education for the poor, particularly in country areas. Since her death she has attracted much veneration in Australia and internationally. On 17 July 2008, Pope Benedict XVI prayed at her tomb during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day 2008. On 19 December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI approved the Roman Catholic Church’s recognition of a second miracle attributed to her intercession.[2] She was canonised on 17 October 2010 during a public ceremony in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.[3][4][5][6] She is the only Australian to be recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as a saint.

Early Life Mary Helen MacKillop was born in Fitzroy, Victoria, on 15 January 1842.[9] Although she continued to be known as “Mary”, when she was baptised six weeks later she received the names Maria Ellen.[10] MacKillop’s parents lived in Roybridge, Inverness-shire, Scotland, prior to emigrating to Australia.[11] The nun visited the village in the 1870s, and the local St Margaret’s Church has a shrine to her. MacKillop’s father, Alexander MacKillop, born in Perthshire,[12] had been educated at The Scots College in Rome and at Blairs College in Kincardineshire, for the Catholic priesthood but at the age of 29 left just before he was due to be ordained. He migrated to Australia and arrived in Sydney in 1838.[9] MacKillop’s mother, Flora MacDonald, born in Fort William, had left Scotland and arrived in Melbourne in 1840.[9] Her father and mother married in Melbourne on 14 July 1840.

Mary MacKillop was the eldest of their eight children. Her younger siblings were Margaret (“Maggie”, 1843–1872), John (1845–1867), Annie (1848–1929), Alexandrina (“Lexie”, 1850–1882), Donald (1853–1925), Alick (who died at 11 months old) and Peter (1857–1878).[9] Donald would later become a Jesuit priest and work among the Aborigines in the Northern Territory. Lexie also became a nun. MacKillop was educated at private schools and by her father. She received her First Holy Communion on 15 August 1850 at the age of eight. In February 1851, Alexander MacKillop left his family behind after having mortgaged the farm and their livelihood and made a trip to Scotland lasting some 17 months. Throughout his life he was a loving father and husband but never able to make a success of his farm. He was even worse as a politician or at any kind of job.

During most of the times the family had to survive on the small wages the children were able to bring home. MacKillop started work at the age of 14 as a clerk in Melbourne and later as a teacher in Portland.[9] To provide for her needy family, in 1860 she took a job as governess[13] at her aunt and uncle’s property at Penola, South Australia where she was to look after their children and teach them.[9] Already set on helping the poor whenever possible, she included the other farm children on the Cameron estate as well. This brought her into contact with Father Woods, who had been the parish priest in the south east since his ordination to the priesthood in 1857 after completing his at Sevenhill MacKillop stayed for two years with the Camerons of Penola before accepting a job teaching the Cameron children of Portland, Victoria in 1862. Later she taught at the Portland school and after opening her own boarding school, Bay View House Seminary for Young Ladies, now Bayview College, in 1864,[14] was joined by the rest of her family.

Founding of school and religious order Father Woods had been very concerned about the lack of education and particularly Catholic education in South Australia.[9] In 1866, he invited MacKillop and her sisters Annie and Lexie to come to Penola and open a Catholic school.[9] Woods was appointed director of education and became the founder, along with MacKillop, of a school they opened in a stable there. After renovations by their brother, the MacKillops started teaching more than fifty children.[15][16] At this time MacKillop made a declaration of her dedication to God and began wearing black.[17] In 1867, MacKillop became the first sister and mother superior of the newly formed order of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart,[9] and moved to the new convent in Grote Street, Adelaide. In the same year, at age 25, she adopted the religious name Sister Mary of the Cross.

In Adelaide they founded a new school at the request of the bishop, Laurence Bonaventure Sheil.[13] Dedicated to the education of the children of the poor, it was the first religious order to be founded by an Australian. The rules developed by Father Woods and MacKillop for the convent emphasised poverty, a dependence on divine providence, no ownership of personal belongings, faith that God would provide and willingness to go where needed.[9] The rules were approved by Bishop Sheil. By the end of 1867, ten other nuns had joined the Josephites[9] who had adopted a plain brown habit. The Josephite nuns became colloquially known as the Brown Joeys. Expansion of the Josephites In an attempt to provide education to all the poor, particularly in country areas, a school was opened at Yankalilla, South Australia in October 1867. By the end of 1869, more than 70 Josephite nuns were educating children at 21 schools in Adelaide and the country.

MacKillop and her Josephites were also involved with an orphanage; neglected children; girls in danger; the aged poor; a reformatory (in Johnstown near Kapunda); a home for the aged; and incurably ill.[18] Generally, the Josephite nuns were prepared to follow farmers, railway workers and miners into the isolated outback and live as they lived.[citation needed] They shared the same hardships while educating their children.[citation needed] In December 1869, MacKillop and several other nuns travelled to Brisbane to establish the order in Queensland.[16] They were based at Kangaroo Point and took the ferry or rowed across the Brisbane River to attend Mass at old St Stephen’s Cathedral. Two years later, she was in Port Augusta, South Australia for the same purpose. The Josephite Congregation expanded rapidly and, by 1871, 130 nuns were working in more than 40 schools and charitable institutions across South Australia and Queensland. Excommunication Bishop Sheil spent less than two years of his episcopate in Adelaide and his absences and poor health left the diocese effectively without clear leadership for much of his tenure.

This resulted in bitter factionalism within the clergy and disunity among the lay community. After the founding of the Josephites, Sheil appointed Father Woods as director general of Catholic education.[19] Father Woods came into conflict with some of the clergy over educational matters[20] and local clergy began a campaign to discredit the Josephites. As well as allegations of financial incompetence, rumours were also spread that MacKillop had a drinking problem. In fact, it was widely known that she drank alcohol on doctor’s orders to relieve the symptoms of dysmenorrhea which often led to her being bedridden for days at a time. A 2010 investigation by Father Paul Gardiner, chaplain of the Mary MacKillop Penola Centre, found no evidence to support these allegations.

In early 1870, MacKillop and fellow nuns of the Josephites heard of allegations that Father Keating, of Kapunda parish to Adelaide’s north, had been sexually abusing children.[21] The Josephites informed Father Woods, who in turn informed the vicar general Father John Smyth, who ultimately sent Keating back to Ireland.[21] The reason for Keating’s dismissal was publicly thought to be alcohol abuse.[22] Keating’s former Kapunda colleague Father Charles Horan was angered by Keating’s removal, and there is evidence to suggest he sought vengeance against Woods by attacking the Josephites.[21] Horan became acting vicar general after the death of Smyth in June 1870, and from this position sought to influence Bishop Sheil.[22] Horan met with Sheil on 21 September 1871 and convinced him that the Josephites’ constitution should be changed; the following day, when MacKillop apparently did not accede to the request, Sheil excommunicated her, citing insubordination as the reason.[20][21] Though the Josephites were not disbanded, most of their schools were closed in the wake

 of this action.[20] Forbidden to have contact with anyone in the church, MacKillop lived with a Jewish family and was also sheltered by Jesuit priests.

Some of the order’s nuns chose to remain under diocesan control, becoming popularly known as “Black Joeys”.[17][23] On his deathbed, Sheil instructed Father Hughes to lift the excommunication on MacKillop.[17] On 21 February 1872, he met her on his way to Willunga and absolved her in the Morphett Vale church.[24] Later, an Episcopal Commission completely exonerated her. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) claimed in September 2010 that MacKillop had been “banished after uncovering sex abuse” and cited Father Paul Gardiner in evidence of this. Gardiner described this suggestion as false, saying “Early in 1870, the scandal occurred and the Sisters of Saint Joseph reported it to Father Tenison Woods, but Mary was in Queensland and no one was worried about her.” Rome After the acquisition of the Mother House at Kensington in 1872, MacKillop made preparations to leave for Rome to have the rules of the Sisters of St Joseph officially approved.

MacKillop travelled to Rome in 1873 to seek papal approval for the religious congregation and was encouraged in her work by Pope Pius IX.[15] The authorities in Rome made changes to the way Josephites lived in poverty,[18] declared that the Superior General and her council were the authorities in charge of the order,[24] and assured MacKillop that the congregation and their rule of life would receive final approval after a trial period.[15] The resulting alterations to the rule of life[specify] caused a breach between MacKillop and Father Woods, who felt that the revised rule compromised the ideal of vowed poverty, and blamed MacKillop for not getting the rule accepted in its original form.[20][24] Before Woods’ death on 7 October 1889, he and MacKillop were personally reconciled, but he did not renew his involvement with her order.[24] While in Europe, MacKillop travelled widely to observe educational methods.[20] During this period, the Josephites expanded their operations into New South Wales and New Zealand.

MacKillop relocated to Sydney in 1883 on the instruction of Bishop Reynolds of Adelaide.[18] Return from Rome When she returned in January 1875, after an absence of nearly two years, she brought approval from Rome for her nuns and the work they did, materials for her school, books for the convent library, several priests and most of all, 15 new Josephites from Ireland. Regardless of her success, she still had to contend with the opposition of priests and several bishops. This did not change after her unanimous election as Superior General in March 1875.[24] The Josephites were unique among Catholic church ministries in two ways. Firstly, the nuns lived in the community rather than in convents. Secondly the order’s constitution required administration by a Superior General rather than a diocese headed by the bishop, a structure that remains unique today. This structure resulted in the order being forced to leave Bathurst in 1876 and Queensland by 1880 due to their respective bishop’s refusal to accept this administrative structure.[26][27] Notwithstanding all the trouble, the order did expand.

By 1877, it operated more than 40 schools in and around Adelaide, with many others in Queensland and New South Wales. With the help from Benson, Barr Smith, the Baker family, Emmanuel Solomon and other non-Catholics, the Josephites, with MacKillop as their leader and superior-general, were able to continue the religious and other good works, including visiting prisoners in jail. After the appointment of Archbishop Roger Vaughan of Sydney in 1877 life became a little easier for MacKillop and her fellow nuns. Until his death in 1882, Father Joseph Tappeiner had given MacKillop his solid support and until 1883, she also had support of Bishop Reynolds of Adelaide. However, after the death of Vaughan, Reynolds had only one aim and that was to destroy MacKillop and the Josephites.[citation needed] If that could not be done he would at least try to bring them under his control.

Reynolds was successful in exiling MacKillop and her removal as superior-general but in no way did he succeed in crushing her, her fellow nuns and bring them under his control.[citation needed] After the death of Sydney’s Archbishop Vaughan in 1883, Patrick Francis Moran became archbishop. Although he had a somewhat positive outlook toward the Josephites, he removed MacKillop as Mother General and replaced her with Sister Bernard Walsh.[15][18][24] Pope Leo XIII made the Josephites into a canonical Congregation in 1885, with its headquarters in Sydney.[24] He gave the final approval to the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1888.[15] Although still living through alms, the Josephite nuns had been very successful. In South Australia, they had schools in many country towns including, Willunga, Willochra, Yarcowie, Mintaro, Auburn, Jamestown, Laura, Sevenhill, Quorn, Spalding, Georgetown, Robe, Pekina, Appila and several others.

MacKillop continued her work for the Josephites in Sydney and tried to provide as much support as possible for those in South Australia. In 1883 the order was successfully established at Temuka in New Zealand, where MacKillop stayed for over a year.[28] In 1889 it was also established in the Australian state of Victoria. During all these years MacKillop assisted Mother Bernard with the management of the Sisters of St Joseph. She wrote letters of support, advice and encouragement or just to keep in touch. By 1896, MacKillop was back in South Australia visiting fellow nuns in Port Augusta, Burra, Pekina, Kapunda, Jamestown and Gladstone. That same year, she travelled again to New Zealand, spending several months in Port Chalmers and Arrowtown in Otago.[28][29] During her time in New Zealand the Sisters of St Joseph a school were established in the South Island. In 1897, Bishop Maher of Port Augusta arranged for the Sisters of St Joseph to take charge of the St Anacletus Catholic Day School at Petersburg (now Peterborough).

MacKillop founded a convent and base for the Sisters of St Joseph in Petersburg on 16 January 1897. “On January 16th, 1897, the founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Mother Mary of the Cross,[30] arrived in Petersburg to take over the school. She was accompanied by Sister Benizi (who was placed in charge of the school), Sister M. Joseph, Sister Clotilde and Sister Aloysius Joseph. They were met at the station by Rev. Father Norton who took them to the newly blessed convent, purchased for them on Railway Terrace.”[31] The property at 40 Railway Terrace is identified as the convent by a plaque placed by the Catholic diocese of Peterborough.[31] After the death of Mother Bernard, MacKillop was once more elected unopposed as Mother Superior-General in 1899,[15][18] a position she held until her own death. During the later years of her life she had many problems with her health which continued to deteriorate.

She suffered from rheumatism and after a stroke in Auckland, New Zealand in 1902, became paralysed on her right side. For seven years, she had to rely on a wheelchair to move around, but her speech and mind were as good as ever and her letter writing had continued unabated after she learned to write with her left hand. Even after suffering the stroke, the Josephite nuns had enough confidence in her to re-elect her in 1905. Death MacKillop died on 8 August 1909 in the Josephite convent in North Sydney.[13] The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Moran, stated that: “I consider this day to have assisted at the deathbed of a Saint.”[17] She was laid to rest at the Gore Hill cemetery, a few kilometres up the Pacific Highway from North Sydney. After MacKillop’s burial, people continually took earth from around her grave.

As a result, her remains were exhumed and transferred on 27 January 1914 to a vault before the altar of the Virgin Mary in the newly built memorial chapel in Mount Street, Sydney.[32] The vault was a gift of Joanna Barr Smith, a lifelong friend and admiring Presbyterian. Canonisation and commemoration In 1925, the Mother Superior of the Sisters of St Joseph, Mother Laurence, began the process to have MacKillop declared a saint and Michael Kelly, Archbishop of Sydney, established a tribunal to carry the process forward. The process for Mary MacKillop’s beatification began in 1926, was interrupted in 1931, but began again in April 1951 and was closed in September of that year. After several years of hearings, close examination of MacKillop’s writings and a 23 year delay, the initial phase of investigations was completed in 1973. After further investigations, MacKillop’s “heroic virtue” was declared in 1992.

That same year, the church endorsed the belief that Veronica Hopson, apparently dying of leukaemia in 1961, was cured by praying for MacKillop’s intercession; MacKillop was beatified on 19 January 1995 by Pope John Paul II.[15] For the occasion of the beatification, the Croatian-Australian artist Charles Billich was commissioned to paint MacKillop’s official commemorative.[33] On 19 December 2009, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued a papal decree formally recognising a second miracle, the complete and permanent cure of Kathleen Evans[34] of inoperable lung and secondary brain cancer in the 1990s.[35] Her canonisation was announced on 19 February 2010 and subsequently took place on 17 October 2010.[6] This made her the first Australian to be recognised as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.[7] In the week leading up to her canonisation, the Australian federal government announced that it was protecting the use of MacKillop’s name for commercial purposes.[36] According to a statement from the office

 of the Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, the only other individual Australian whose name has similar protection is Australian cricket legend Sir Donald Bradman.[37] Australia Post issued an official postage stamp to recognise MacKillop’s canonisation.[38] An estimated 8,000 Australians were present in Vatican City to witness the ceremony.[39] The Vatican Museum held an exhibition of Aboriginal art to honour the occasion titled “Rituals of Life”.[40] The exhibition contained 300 artifacts which were on display for the first time since 1925.[41] Along with MacKillop, sainthood was also approved for Saint André Bessette, a Canadian Holy Cross Brother; Stanisław Kazimierczyk, a 15th-century Polish priest; Italian nuns Giulia Salzano and Camilla Battista da Varano; and Spanish nun Candida Maria of Jesus.

MacKillop is remembered in numerous ways, particularly in Australia. Many things have been named for her, including the electoral district of MacKillop in South Australia, and several MacKillop Colleges.

In 1985, the Sisters of St Joseph approached one of Australia’s foremost rose growers to develop the Mary MacKillop rose.[42][43] MacKillop was the subject of the first of the ‘Inspirational Australians’ one dollar coin series, released by the Royal Australian Mint in 2008.[44] MacKillop is also the subject of several artistic productions, including the 1994 film Mary, directed by Kay Pavlou and with Lucy Bell as MacKillop;[45] Her Holiness, a play by Justin Fleming and Melvyn Morrow;[46] and MacKillop [47], a dramatic musical created by Victorian composer Xavier Brouwer[48] and first performed for pilgrims at World Youth Day 2008 in Melbourne.[49] Blessed Mary Mackillop – true Australian hero | The Catholic Leader Home » People » Guest Writers » Blessed Mary Mackillop – true Australian hero Blessed Mary Mackillop – true Australian hero August 9, 2009 Posted by: The Catholic Leader in Guest Writers Blessed Mary MacKillop, cofounder of the Sisters of St Joseph in Australia,

 was declared the patron of Brisbane archdiocese in May.

August 8 is her feast day and the centenary of he death, and parishes in Brisbane archdiocese are celebrating the feast at Sunday Masses this weekend. Assistant congregational leader of the Josephites SR EILEEN LENIHAN reflects on the life of Mary MacKillop and her impact BLESSED Mary MacKillop is one of Australia’s most remarkable and inspiring women. The power of her inspiration is clearly visible today as demonstrated by the sheer number of people who still flock to visit her tomb at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney. They come for various reasons, for needs, great and small. Most come because they seek Mary’s intercession as they believe she will ask for God’s assistance on their behalf. People come to the chapel and find the peace and spiritual strength to deal with life’s difficulties. They recognise in Mary MacKillop an ordinary woman who lived her life in an extraordinary way. With their worries they come seeking Mary MacKillop’s intervention as they see in her a woman who battled many difficulties of her own life including family and health issues.

Many are drawn by Mary’s compassion for anyone in need, regardless of race, colour or faith, and are inspired by the woman’s goodness and reverence for the dignity of others especially those most neglected in society. Some long for the kind of love that led Mary to forgive so readily people whom she had trusted but who treated her so unjustly. Many are moved by her trust in God and her profound sense of gratitude. For thousands Mary MacKillop is an outstanding example for ways people can live in society today. Mary Helen MacKillop was born on January 15 1842 to Scottish Highlander immigrant parents and grew up with seven brothers and sisters. While her youth was spent gaining a comprehensive education, mainly from her father, the family was frequently in financial difficulties and often without a home of their own. They found themselves reliant on friends or relatives for support. The generosity extended to the family and the difficulties they experienced, helped shape the young Mary’s ideals and expectation. At the age of 18, Mary started work as a governess to her cousins, the Cameron children in Penola, South Australia, and later became a teacher in the denominational school in Portland.

During this time Mary found in Fr Julian Tenison Woods, who was Penola parish priest, a pastor grappling with a profound concern for the well-being of his people and particularly the education of children. Mary was driven by her desire to show God’s love to others especially those who were most in need. She yearned to ensure that poor children and women were offered the opportunity to gain an education and thus the ability to create a better life. In 1866, inspired by Fr Julian Tenison Woods, Mary opened the first St Joseph’s school in a refurbished stable in Penola. Then, drawn by the good work Mary was doing, her own sisters came to her assistance at the school. Mary wanted to devote herself even more to God and soon other women joined her so the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart were founded; Mary MacKillop was only 24 years old. Mary MacKillop longed to help “the poorest of the poor” and to “never see a need without trying to do something about it”. She worked tirelessly to make a difference, to uphold the dignity of the most marginalised, dejected and deprived.

Word of Mary’s work spread rapidly and priests from city and country areas asked Mary to send sisters to open schools for them. In 1868, she and the sisters opened a refuge for young women recently released from prison, an orphanage, and a house of providence as a home for older women, especially the frail aged. Within four years there were 130 sisters working in more than 40 schools and charitable institutions in South Australia and Queensland. Her journey, however, was not without struggle and she often met with fierce opposition, from outside the Church and even from within it. At one of the most difficult points of her life, she found herself and her sisters in conflict with Bishop Lawrence Sheil of Adelaide due to her alleged non-compliance with his directives. This drama resulted in her being excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1871. Later Bishop Sheil acknowledged his error and reinstated Mary. The Congregation for the Sisters of St Joseph continued. Mary fought hard for her beliefs and even visited Rome in order to procure the pope’s approval for the Rule of Life of the Sisters of St Joseph and the central government of the congregation.

In another test of her courage, the Archbishop of Sydney in 1885 declared that Mary could no longer be superior general of the order and instead appointed another sister to that position. For 14 years the order that Mary founded was led by another sister, until Mary was re-elected in 1899. Mary suffered a stroke in 1902, but continued as the congregational leader until the time of her death. On August 4 1909, Cardinal Moran visited Mary as she was preparing for death and gave her his blessing and words of encouragement. As he left he said, “I consider I have this day assisted at the deathbed of a saint”. Mary, known as Mary of the Cross, died a few days later on Sunday, August 8, 1909, aged 67 years. Her funeral Mass was celebrated on August 10 and it was reported that people vied with each other to touch her body with rosaries and other pious objects, a practice very unusual in Australia. Even more unusual was the souveniring of samples of earth from her grave when she was laid to rest.

It was evident that people had recognised she was a holy person and from that time onwards, the faithful have never ceased to regard her as a saint. Her tomb can be found today in the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel, Mount Street, North Sydney. Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart serve not only in Australia and New Zealand but also in Peru, Brazil, East Timor and in Scotland and Ireland, although the name and inspiration of Mary MacKillop extend well beyond these places and across the globe. Mary’s inspirational work in education, with refugees, indigenous communities and all those who struggle in our world continues. The sisters’ work includes the provision of family services such as home care, disability services, respite care and aged care. They work in remote communities where there is no minister or priest at the local church. They minister in indigenous communities in Western Australia, Northern Territory, outback Queensland and New South Wales. They are inspired by the devotion and pure love that Mary demonstrated in her commitment to improving the lives of those less fortunate. Many ministries are carried out in partnership with others.

The Mary MacKillop Foundation for the support of small life-changing projects works tirelessly to make a difference especially for indigenous communities in Australia while other Josephite groups and committees strive to support the sisters’ ministries in Peru, Brazil and East Timor. Mary MacKillop was a woman truly ahead of her time, always pragmatic and down to earth. She wasn’t afraid to question authority when justice and charity required it. Throughout all her trials and tribulations she never stopped giving and helping those in need, regardless of their circumstances or their religion. Australia needs practical, down-to-earth models of goodness; examples of inclusivity and openness, generosity and gratefulness – dare we say, models of holiness? Mary is truly a remarkable woman. A true Australian hero. Written by: The Catholic Leader 2009-08-09 1000+ images about Christian Churches in Australia on Pinterest | The philippines, Australia and Church What is Orthodoxy?

| Australian and New Zealand Diocese (ROCOR) Russian Orthodox Church pin Mary MacKillop Moments Mary MacKillop Moments Mary MacKillop Moments As the day of Mary MacKillop's Canonisation on 17 October 2010 drew ever nearer, people from around the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta shared in the moment with us. Sharing the moment... Friday 12 November St Mary of the Cross MacKillop - my intercessor Ever since her Beatification 15 years ago, I have knelt by Mary MacKillop's tomb in North Sydney as often as I can. I pray that there be no conflict in my familys' life and that I be a good mother to my three daughters. I tell her of my plans and my wishes for my family. My daughters have all grown to be good people, finishing university, having families and practicing their Catholicism. That I was able to witness Mary's Canonisation was a miracle for me, as I didn't initially plan to be in Rome for the occasion. We had booked a trip to the Holy Land at the time, which by chance required a stopover in Rome.

We were able to change our travel arrangements slightly, allowing us to do the stopover on 17 October - and allowing me to attend the Canonisation. I was able to explore Rome and was able to visit Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal with my husband before the Canonisation which was one of my dreams. I felt proud, grateful and overwhelmed to witness the solemn and sacred event at St Peter's Basilica for the Canonisation of our very own Saint and the other five Saints from other countries. Thank you St Mary of the Cross, for your intercession. May you continue to intercede for me, so I can continue my mission to my family and the community - and to be a Saint like you. Josephine Calangi Our Lady of the Rosary Kellyville Parishioner Monday 1 November St John Vianney Doonside Parishioner Monday 18 October A surge of pride, an overwhelming sense of gratitude 18th October - The day after the night before. The excitement and jubilation which I, along with the other Sisters of St Joseph experienced last night was beyond belief.

We had gathered either at our Province Centre (or at North Sydney) to celebrate and join with our Sisters present in Rome for the ceremony which would officially proclaim our Foundress, Mary of the Cross MacKillop, a saint of the Universal Church. Many of us had been able to assemble in the Memorial Chapel on Saturday night to pray together at Mass as we prepared for this significant ‘moment’ in our history. The exuberance of the gathering was only a shadow of what was to be the ‘mood’ of the gathering on Sunday night. The moment that the Holy Father pronounced Mary’s name for the first time, a surge of pride, an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the recognition of Mary’s holiness, swept through the Croydon Chapel. And what does this mean to me? My prayer, with many in the wider Church, is that this momentous moment will be the beginning of a tangible renewal of practical Faith for the people of this great South Land of the Holy Spirit, the land that Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop called 'home'.

"This is an Australian who writes …" (1873) Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral An unshakeable trust in Divine Providence We have waited for many years for the canonisation of St Mary of the Cross and it has finally happened. What a wonderful day Sunday was for Australia and for the world. It might be just my imagination, but I thought that I detected affection in the Holy Father's voice when he spoke of the work of Mary MacKillop during the Mass. Perhaps he was remembering his pilgrimage to her shrine at North Sydney. It was wonderful to see so many Australians go to Rome for the canonisation. Mary herself walked the streets of Rome and was received by the Pope. She would never have realised that she would one day be canonised there. Mary is one of us, but we are now formally sharing her with the world. I hope that people across the world take her to their hearts and read her biography. It is appropriate that she was canonised on the same day as Brother Andre of Montreal Canada, because they both had a great devotion to St Joseph and an unshakeable trust in Divine Providence.

St Mary of the Cross has captured the attention of Australians everywhere and in every walk of life. I hope that all the attention to Mary MacKillop's canonisation will bring people to examine the Catholic Church and its teachings, and help bring people into the church. St Mary of the Cross set up a teaching order which sent sisters to the bush - to the country towns to set up convents. Usually they went in twos or threes. Typically two of the sisters would teach school and the other sister would do the housekeeping at the convent and teach the piano. The sisters taught the Catholic religion and intellectual subjects as well. In the country areas, they set up schools wherever there was no government school. Their schools taught all the children in these areas, not just the Catholic children. They spread culture as well as giving religious and intellectual instruction. Mary and her sisters also looked after the poor, the orphans and the disadvantaged. Australians owe a great deal to St Mary of the Cross and the Sisters of St Joseph.

Mary Ann Matulis St John Vianney Doonside Parishioner Sunday 17 October A true role model for all Australians I am so honoured to be in the world today to witness Australia's first saint, Mary of the Cross Mackillop. Today is a day of much celebration and happiness for all Australians, in particular Australian Catholics. While I'm pleased that Australia is getting it's first saint, I am most delighted at the fact it's Mary MacKillop, an ordinary woman who showed that with faith, belief and courage in Christ, you can achieve many wonderful and extraordinary things. Mary Mackillop is a true role model for all Australians and someone who for some years I have seen as a great example of how we should live our lives in the world today and more importantly how Christ would want us to live our lives. Through Mary of the Cross we see the simple ways in which we can help out all and we can make a difference. It is truly a blessing that there will be generations to come now that will always have that in their hearts, thanks to her sainthood. I really hope that all the joy and word surrounding Mary Mackillop over the last few months translates into action in the many years ahead.

I hope that her message to never see a need without doing something about it and to always act rather than just speak, is a message that we as a country spend more time thinking about and more importantly, putting into action. Australia is a great country, but one which at times is driven more by money and power than by humility and mercy for all. I pray that through the soon to be Saint Mary of the Cross, we have someone who will watch over our great country and ensure we are always there for our fellow man/woman/child and are always doing the best we can for others. May we never stop living her legacy, one that has made this country great and will make it greater for many a day to come. Trevor Tye Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Saturday 16 October Seeking in earnest "Remember too the Heavenly Mother you have got - your Mother - and the mother of your Divine Spouse Jesus. What grace is there that she will not obtain for you if you only remember to seek it in earnest." Sister Mary of the Cross to the Sisters in 1886 Do you think that Mary MacKillop could say exactly the same to us today in 2010?

We are the children of this same Heavenly Mother - who is 'the mother' of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. As her children, we like (Saint) Mary of the Cross may ask her to intercede for us. What mother would turn away from the pressing needs of her children? Today, Saturday 16 October, turn your attention to asking our Heavenly Mother to obtain for you the graces that will enable you to grow in holiness and closeness to her Son, Jesus. Pray that you may "seek it in earnest" and come to know and love God ever more deeply. And tomorrow night, when through the marvel of technology we listen and watch the proclamation by Pope Benedict XVI of the sanctity of Mary Helen MacKillop, Saint Mary of the Cross, may we remember that the first Australian to be added to the Canon of the Church prayed to our Heavenly Mother in the same way. Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.

Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Friday 15 October Mary’s Love of the Sacred Heart Mary wrote to Fr Julian Tenison Woods, 19th July 1870 that “A sense of the presence of God and His Adorable will seems before me nearly always now, ...” From her earliest years, Mary learnt to pray – her parents, Alexander and Flora, immersed her in the traditions of our Faith. Mary learnt at an early age of the love God had for her and as we know she grew in understanding that Love throughout her life. Her particularly deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was often reflected in her letters: ”that Heart seems so full of tender love and desire that it seems something terrible to grieve It,…” (19.7.1870) In the Chapel of Reparation in our Cathedral we have an image of the Sacred Heart. I was privileged to spend time with a group of young students who were looking at this painting. The response of one nine year old who had briefly prayed in the Chapel of Reparation was: “this painting shows me how much God loves us”.

Mary who like us lived and worked and loved in this land of the Southern Cross is a model we Australians can imitate in our prayer. Let us strive to develop “a sense of the presence of God and His Adorable will” and like the young Chapel visitor come to know “how much God loves us”. Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Thursday 14 October The gift of St Mary of the Cross, MacKillop Something deep within me calls me to a place I've not been before. I am at a loss to express the deepest happiness that the naming of this Australian woman, the one whom I've called "Mother Mary" for most of my religious life, gives me on a personal level and as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. I've been thinking and pondering all day - wondering what word would encapsulate and express the knowledge that within three days our very own "Mother" whose mortal remains are buried in the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel at Mount Street, North Sydney, be officially recognised as "Saint Mary of the Cross".

I think of her when she would have been at work in the schools; I think of her when she was helping other women to learn how to live the Religious Life; I think of her when she was reaching out to help the homeless and neglected people of the cities where she lived; I think of her when she shared the little that she had, even when she insisted on giving to a caller the meal that had been set before her; I think of her and the other young sisters in the struggling times when they were exiled unjustly from places where they'd been helping others; I think of her in her prayer times; I think of her in the many letters she wrote to the sisters, encouraging them, guiding them and in so many ways leading them to a deeper love of God. How then, can a word draw this together? My only response is: that she lived a life totally committed to the Will of God with a deep sense of the ever-abiding presence of the Almighty. My word(s) then is simply this - Praise and Glory to God for the gift of Mary of the Cross, MacKillop.

Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Wednesday 13 October Fulfilment of a prophetic statement I'm not quite ready to start counting down the hours, but the immediacy of Canonisation Day, after so many years (for me well over four decades) is a rather daunting thought. This woman, our Foundress, a Josephite and fellow Australian, a woman of inestimable holiness, will be known as Saint Mary of the Cross. Many have written in the past years, and especially in the past few months about the place of the Cross in Mary's life. Stories and real-life experiences have been shared. In the midst of this, for those who choose to know and accept is the true essence of her own holiness. In this democratic society the cynics and atheists who are touting their ideologies are of course allowed to do so, but if we turn back the clock of history and re-read the comments posed in the Freeman's Journal, 19 August 1909 we see that the 'every-day-ness' of our own Australian Saint, was recognised even in the weeks after her death.

The Journal recognised what Mary had done for the glory of God in the service of the people of this land and wrote that her life "would stand for years to come as the noblest record of an Australian woman." So, 101 years later, on next Sunday 17 October, we will see the fulfilment of this prophetic statement. Let us thank God that we are alive at this time of recognition of a mighty Australian woman. Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Tuesday 12 October Teaching sanctity to the world All the saints are wonderful, but Blessed Mary MacKillop is different from any other saint. She experienced the conditions that we do as Australians. Mary was a woman who understood what it is like to be in Australia, to be in our cities and in the outback. Mary experienced the heat, the floods, the bushfires and the droughts that we Australians are so familiar with. It is amazing to go to places that are not far from where I live, and to realize that Blessed Mary MacKillop looked after the poor and set up schools there. The saints have always been from other countries, now it is Australia’s turn to teach sanctity to the world.

None of us can complain about our problems after reading Blessed Mary MacKillop’s life story. It is full of contradictions and complications. She often suffered that horrible affiliation of having people misrepresent her actions. Mary demonstrated to us that even in the very worse of circumstances (excommunication) that she remained charitable to the bishop who had passed the sentence upon her. To me Blessed Mary MacKillop is the most real and the most practical of all the saints. Like many others, I have waited years to see her canonised and the happy day is just around the corner. I feel very close to her. She has interceded for me in my needs and in the needs of my family and friends. Blessed Mary MacKillop has done so much for the people of this country by setting up her order to educate poor children, but especially to teach them the Catholic Faith. I was taught by the Sisters of Saint Joseph at Saint Martha’s boarding school at Leichhardt for a brief time when my mother was in hospital. I will always remember their motherly care during my stay there.

I am so proud of Blessed Mary MacKillop my fellow Australian, who I consider to be my friend and look forward to my next pilgrimage to her shrine at North Sydney. Mary Ann Matulis St John Vianney Doonside Parishioner God will take care of you In 1873, Mary wrote: "My life as a child was one of sorrow, my home when I had it a most unhappy one… "When I was a little more than 16 years of age, the principal care of a large family fell upon me, and … I felt its burden yearly more and more." These quotes from a letter written by Mary give us a glimpse of the 'real' person that Mary was throughout her life. We may be inclined to think that because the Church will in four days time publicly acclaim her holiness, her earthly life was free of hassles. In reality, it was the opposite. The greater part of the twenty-four years of Mary's life, prior to her move to Penola, had been devoted to helping her mother look after her brothers and sisters. Her mother was often ill and her father often away from home. Financial problems were a common reality and even securing a place in which to live was often difficult.

Mary's story would be familiar with many today. So, next when you are feeling the strain of an empty purse and little food to share with the family, in fact even where you will be able to live in the next period, take heart! I wonder if this may have been how Mary MacKillop came to understand the passage from St Matthew's Gospel (Chapter 6: verse 26): ' look at the birds of the air …'; I think that Mary MacKillop's advice to us today would be to always trust in God who will help us in all things and always take care of us. Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Sunday 10 October Images Yesterday I was walking through the business area of North Sydney. Above me, flapping in the wind were wonderful full-sized banners portraying the image of Mary MacKillop. The movement in the wind gave Mary's facial image and impression that she may have been laughing! (I wonder whether she is laughing at the changes a century has made to her former residential area?) Was I really surprised? I'd have to answer "no" but delighted, "yes".

Here in the public arena for Christian and non-Christian alike, were the images of a woman who had lived and worked in this busy areas over 100 years ago. Her presence still very real, especially in the Memorial Chapel. In the reception area of Mary MacKillop Place hangs a large portray. The inscription on the bottom told me that this painting had been presented to the Sisters of St Joseph in 1925. It was given by H. Credgington of the Catholic Art Gallery of Melbourne. (Incidentally, this is the year when the Sisters first began to formally promote the cause for Mary's holiness to be recognised for the sake of the people of her much loved Australia). This same portray was previously hung in the large reception room of what was (to me when I was a fledgling sister) our Mother House. As young sisters we would often remark to each other that Mary's eyes followed us wherever we moved in that room. I came away from my experiences of yesterday, (Saturday 9 October) with a sense of reassurance that no matter where I am the radiance of God's love in others can be reflected by their goodness.

Mary MacKillop certainly portrays that in the many images available to us today. My challenge is real: do I, in my every day ministry (and life), portray God's love by my countenance? Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Friday 8 October The certain sense of God's watchful love I was recently enriched by a quote from a letter Mary MacKillop wrote to the Sisters before she left on her epic journey to Rome in 1873. Mary reflected on the ‘many things which might discourage were it not for a certain sense of God’s watchful love which wonderfully strengthens me and which will also, I trust, give you all great courage.’ (Mary MacKillop, 25.03.1873) Mary had so recently experienced the circumstances surrounding excommunication from her beloved Church; she was now facing a long journey (by boat) to the other side of the world to seek affirmation for ‘our Holy Rule’, that rule under which the Sisters of St Joseph would live their consecrated lives. Why is this important to me now?

I see in this courageous action of Mary, the trust and confidence in God that each of us, in this twenty-first century, need to live as committed Catholics. We need to willing recognise that the certain sense of God’s watchful love will also be present with us, irrespective of the difficulties we may face in continuing to live faithfully the call to holiness. Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Thursday 7 October Mary as a model of daily living out her call to holiness given at baptism 28 February 1842 - Why is this date significant? On this day, Alexander and Flora MacKillop presented their daughter Mary Helen, at St Francis’ Church Melbourne, for the Sacrament of Baptism. Thus began her journey to holiness – and ultimately, the reason we will celebrate her Canonisation in just over a week. And why is this significant to me and you? As Baptised people, (whether Catholic or belonging to another Christian Church) we are continually challenged each day to live out what began at our Baptism - our personal journey to holiness.

Mary MacKillop lived with all the ups and downs, the joys and sufferings, the many blessings and struggles of life and always strove to do the best that she could. She did this living according to the same call to holiness as was given to me (and you) on the day of Baptism. Mary’s life presents me with a ‘huge’ challenge to do as she did – to accept my daily experiences and to work at carrying them out in the best possible way I can. Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Wednesday 6 October 'Model of holiness' How does one express the inner joyful feeling of such an event? We've all waited patiently and wondered if it would ever happen. We've prayed that one day it may come to pass. Now, in just 11 days time this momentous event will happen. God has given us a model of holiness in Mary Helen MacKillop. In her lifetime, Mother Mary of the Cross, knew what it meant to be tried and tested, but she continually witnesses to the Power of God through her perseverance and acceptance of what God asked of her.

This rouses in me a totally overwhelming sense of the Power and Goodness of God. Let us all, as we wait excitedly for the 17th October to dawn, pray that we may learn from her example to trust in the Power and Goodness of God in our own lives. Let us rejoice too, that Mary of the Cross MacKillop, an Australian, will be added to the Canon of Saints and be recognised for her holiness throughout the world. Sr Susan Ward RSJ, Pastoral Associate, St Patrick's Cathedral Her faith, trust and confidence in God As I reflect on Mary MacKillop, the image of a spiritual warrior comes to mind...someone who engages in the battle with the self, who is prepared to look within, face her own demons, and delve down to the foundations of life itself. Only in so doing could she hope to meet the deepest needs of her own nature and tap into her most profound resources: her faith, trust and confidence in God, her patience and compassion. Mary MacKillop had a big vision. A realist, she probably expected to hit a few speed bumps along the way in rolling it out.

Opportunities to expand her ministry and service threatened to outrun her experience and resources. I suspect she didn’t see ‘excommunication’ looming on her radar! Mary attempted something large enough that failure was guaranteed...and that’s where God stepped in. The hallmark of a spiritual warrior like Mary MacKillop? The ‘will to God’ - present in each step, each task, each moment...yet unattached to outcomes. Then God could truly work through her. Mary MacKillop: an awesome model for anyone serious about the spiritual journey. Claire Lanigan Parramatta Cathedral Parishioner Living by her faith in the cross As Mary Mackillop’s Canonisation comes closer, all Australians are getting ready to have their first Saint. Mary had a Scottish background and worked very hard, her life-long dream was to teach the children who could not afford to go to school. She also cared for the less fortunate and sick. She lived in the Gold Rush era when women had little or no power or rights. If you ask any Catholic Australian how they felt about Mary, they would say she was a hard working lady, with much faith in God and stood up for what was right, even if it cost her (dearly).

Mary lived by her faith in the cross and passed that faith onto others. Now there is a musical called MACKILLOP about her life and sufferings and it is truly inspiring to see, as I have seen it the opening night. It brings out a beautiful view of her life and hardships and showed how Mary’s faith in God changed lives and with the Sisters of St Joseph she made history in the Church and spread the word through out Australasia. By Harrison Castles (11)

Question: Mary Helen Mackillop, also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, is the only person from which country to be recognised by the Roman Catholic church as a saint?
Answer: Australia